Embry's Element
by ReaderRabid
Summary: A new werewolf x OC story.  This is the story of Embry's life about 14 yrs postEclipse, in La Push, with all his friends married with kids or imprinted.  A woman with a past and family to raise moves to La Push and things start to change for Embry.
1. Sunday Sun

**Embry's Element**

Chapter 1 - Sunday Sun 

**A/N:**_ I've been really enjoying the Quil/Claire imprinting stories, and the Jake x OC wolf stories, but I haven't seen any with Embry as a main character. I always liked Embry - he supported Jake through everything with Bella. I'm also inspired by our new-to-us dog, Jack (he came with his name), an Australian Cattle Dog whose fur is absolutely as soft as how werewolf fur is described._

_**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, I didn't write the Twilight series, and I make no money from this fanfiction. We won't mention how much I would like to be making money as a writer ...**_

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I woke up to the sun streaming through the windows of my room. I blinked - the La Push reservation, and Washington State in general, was not known for sunny weather. The sun was a mixed blessing - it would be a beautiful day, but it was also likely that vampires could be active in the forests around the rez, so there would be extra patrols. The vampires' shimmering skin gave them away on these rare sunny days, days when they couldn't go to work or school, so they went "hunting". Our job as the Quileute Spirit Warriors, or werewolves, was to protect the local residents from the vampires, and that work took precedence over everything else, even paid work.

I stretched in the sunlight, wondering how the sun could be so high before I woke up. I looked at the clock - 9am! It took a moment for me to remember that today was Sunday, and I wasn't working at the garage. My best friend Jake had opened a garage on the rez, and as he started getting more business, I had started working with him. It was a good job, and we could cover for each other if the Pack needed extra patrols. We had a few guys from the area who weren't werewolves working for us, too. They didn't know about the Pack, but they knew that we had to do security for the rez in addition to our mechanics work.

I could smell bacon cooking, so I got out of bed more quickly than usual on a Sunday. I tossed on a shirt and shorts and went downstairs. My housemate, Quil, was making breakfast. His "girlfriend", Claire, was sitting at the table. I was glad I hadn't just come down in my boxers - Claire blushed enough when I walked in!

"Morning, Claire! Morning Quil!" I greeted them, smiling. "Gorgeous day out!"

"I knew the smell of bacon would wake you up, Embry! I made plenty. Maybe you could set the table for us? Claire just started the coffee." Quil said from the stove.

"Quil gives me all the tough jobs," joked Claire, rolling her eyes.

"He's so tough on you," I joked back. Quil was over-protective of Claire, trying to wait patiently until she grew older. "What's he got planned for you today?"

"School's finally out, so I'm free from homework! Quil can't lock me in the library to study. I want to go to the beach, but Quil isn't sure if you guys will have extra patrols today." Claire had dealt very well with Quil's imprinting on her, and his status as a member of the werewolf pack. She was having a harder time waiting until she was old enough (according to Quil) to have a "real" relationship with Quil than she ever did with the woo-woo aspects of his life.

"Hey, I never locked you in the library!" Quil protested, bringing the bacon to the table along with a stack of waffles that had been staying warm in the oven. "I just wanted you to finish up your Sophomore year with good grades. You want to get into a good college after high school."

"**Anyhow**, Mr. Responsibility might actually let me have fun today," Claire retorted, sticking out her tongue at Quil. Clearly this was an ongoing argument, and I was staying far out of it.

"I'll take Quil's patrol if he's called in today," I offered. "He needs to relax more." I grinned at Claire. "Let me know if you need any help managing Mr. Responsibility, OK? I might have some tips now that you're 16 ... "

"Oh, I'm taking you up on that next time Quil's away, Embry! Thanks!" Claire's eyes brightened. It would be fun to play some practical jokes on Quil with Claire. I was just getting used to her being around more, and I wanted both of us to feel comfortable with her in the house.

"Oh, hush up and eat already, both of you. You'd think I was some monster by the way you're talking!" Quil said, sounding exasperated, but smiling anyhow. He had a hard time not smiling when he was around Claire.

"But you **are** a monster!" Claire giggled, then laughed harder when Quil tried to glare at her. I just started eating - I'm no fool, I eat before someone takes away the food!

After breakfast, the phone rang, just as I had expected. I answered the phone, "Hello. Quil and Embry's house of waffles." Quil rolled his eyes at me, but Claire giggled again.

"Hey Embry, it's Sam. Are you done with those waffles?"

"Yep, just finished. You needing extra patrols today?"

"Exactly. Some new folks moved into a house near the reservation, so we need to check them out. Plus, it's a sunny day, so we need a few extra people in the forests."

"Do you need both of us? Or just one?" I asked.

"Just one. I might need the other one to help tonight, it'll depend on what we find out today. Who's up for it?"

"I'll do it. Quil has plans with Claire."

"Aaaah. Yeah, don't mess that up or I'll never hear the end of it from Emily." Sam replied - Emily was Claire's niece, and she was protective of her.

"I'll be over in a few minutes. We meeting at your house?"

"Yep, see you soon."

I hung up, and started clearing the table so I'd be ready to leave.

"Thanks, Embry." Quil said, after Claire had stepped out of the room. "Doing something 'normal' today was important to Claire. She knows the Pack comes first, but it's nice when she can act like a regular teenager with a boyfriend." Since Quil had imprinted on Claire when she was a toddler, he was only just now starting to be able to date her. Imprinting was the werewolf version of a soul mate, but it was even stronger than that - an invisible force pulling you together, so all you wanted and needed to do was make that person happy. When Claire was little, that meant playing with her like an older brother. Only now has the relationship started to change to a slowly moving romantic one. Luckily, we age slowly, so even though we're older, we look and feel like we're in our early to mid twenties.

"No worries. I didn't have any plans today anyhow." I put the dishes in the dishwasher, then started walking towards the door.

Claire put her hand on my shoulder, "Thanks Embry."

"No problem. Go have fun!" I walked out the door, then loped over to Sam's house.

"Hi Embry!" Emily called as I arrived at their house. "Did you eat before you came over?" As I walked up to the porch, I could see that Nola and Raven, Sam and Emily's 6 and 3 year old daughters, were having a mid-morning snack. Emily was glowing as she leaned across her pregnant belly, handing out muffins to the Pack members who were gathering on the benches in the yard.

"Quil fed me, but I can't turn down one of your muffins!" I grabbed a muffin, greeted Nola and Raven, then walked over to the Pack.

"Here's the deal," Sam was saying as I walked over. "A new family is moving into the empty house near where the Clearwaters live. We need to find out more about them - does anyone smell like they are going to Change soon? Anyone there smell like a bloodsucker? We also need to have a more mundane greeting. Jared - you and Kim can go over with a batch of muffins. Check in, offer to help unpack, etc. See if you can find out their connection to the Quileutes."

Jared nodded, and grabbed a couple guys to go with him. Emily passed him a basket of muffins along with the admonishment, "Don't eat them on the way!", as he loped back to his house to pick up Kim.

Sam turned to the rest of us. "We're looking at our usual sunny day patrols. Stay in touch, we'll cover as much ground as we can. We've had a few signs and scents of vampires in the past couple months, so stay alert." He looked at the younger members of the Pack. "Younger members team up with an older member - and don't go acting like this is just a Sunday run!"

With that we all ran off, I was alone for my run, but with the Pack's thoughts in my head after I phased, I was never truly alone.

**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	2. Monday's Meeting

**Chapter 2 - Monday Meeting**

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

_**A/N: **__I've decided that the women the werewolves Imprint also age slowly (once they reach a certain age), like the werewolves. I hadn't thought about that until a reviewer mentioned it, but I think that's what others are doing in the Quil/Claire stories. Or something like that. The guys with families are phasing less, so they're starting to age a bit more. It's the guys who don't have families that are still phasing all the time and not aging. Willing suspension of disbelief maybe:)_

_I love reviews, but need to sleep. Wanted to post this, but I'll reply to all reviews tomorrow. Thanks for reading!_

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My Sunday run was uneventful - no traces of vampires in the section I patrolled. Since the Pack shared thoughts, I could tell that no one else had found any evidence either. I hoped this wouldn't make the newer members cocky, because there had been a "missing" hiker a month or two ago, and we had scented vampires. The overcast Northwest attracts a lot of them.

I enjoyed my day, though, running with the pack was such a part of my being that I needed it regularly to restore my soul. I found the chatter about the newcomers somewhat interesting - we don't get many new people moving here. The house had been bought by a woman in her mid twenties, and she had a niece and nephew who lived with her, as well as her male cousin. Their shared grandmother was Quileute, but had left the reservation to get married. There was something about a tragedy, but nobody in the pack got a clear picture of what had happened. The woman and her cousin were raising the niece and nephew, and they said they wanted to move somewhere quiet and peaceful, so they decided to "find their roots". I laughed inwardly at the idea of "quiet and peaceful", but since no one scented vampire on anyone, and there was nobody ready to Change, thoughts within the pack moved on quickly to other topics.

_I think we're done today, folks._ Sam sent, as the afternoon waned into evening. _Regular patrols only tonight since there's no activity. Thanks for working today, everyone!_

I ran home, phasing into my human shape in a small shed Quil and I had built off the house that held a couple changes of clothes. Claire had been around too often for me to phase and enter the house to get dressed. That was one embarrassing moment I wouldn't forget for a long time. Tonight, though, the house was empty. I wolfed down some food, double checked that I had set the alarm, and went to sleep, exhilarated and exhausted by a day of running.

"Morning, Jake!" I said, walking into my best friend Jacob's auto mechanic shop. He had started the shop after our High School graduation, once we realized that the Pack needed to stay on the reservation. We had all taken community college courses, and some members of the pack had gotten college degrees, but I was happy to be one of the partners in Jake's shop.

"Morning, Embry!" Jake looked up from the engine of a Saturn we had worked on intermittently - never quite figuring out the trouble.

"Hey - you got them to leave the Saturn? Cool. We might actually figure it out if we don't have a deadline." I grinned, excited by the challenge.

"Yep. I found a loaner car and gave that to them for the rest of the week. I'm fed up with having this car in every couple months! Plus, it's not safe to have the engine stalling when you're driving around with kids."

"You're a softie! I teased. Jake growled in response, and my grin got wider. "So, what were you, Leah, and the kids up to this weekend? I didn't see you at Sam's for patrols."

"Sam was kind enough to let people with families off the hook on Sunday. We don't get too many sunny weekends! We went down to First Beach, and there were a bunch of other families there. Marie is fearless, I don't know where she gets it!" Jake's grin got wider - we knew exactly where his 5 year old got her fearlessness - both her parents were werewolves!

"What about Will? How did he do with the waves?" I asked. I had a soft spot for 2 year old Will, he was one of the few boys born recently, and he was much quieter than most of the other kids. Will was a great one for curling up in your lap for a story, and Uncle Embry was happy to accommodate!

"Will was nervous at first, but he paddled at the edge for a while after he got used to it. Emily was there with Raven and Nola, so she hung out with us. When her girls and Marie get together, they're into **everything**, so it was good to have an extra set of eyes while Sam was monitoring patrols." Jake smiled, "Em's almost tripping over her own feet at this point, so it was good for her to just rest for a bit. We're happy to help out."

"I took the patrol so Quil could hang out with Claire. First sunny day after school lets out isn't a good time for your boyfriend to have to work!" I smiled at being able to use the word "girlfriend" to describe Claire and Quil - it had been a **long** 14 years since he had imprinted.

"Quil mentioned that. Claire was pleased. She, Leah, and Emily were all giggling together. It looks like Claire will be helping out with the kids again this summer - doing some art projects and stuff over at the rec center."

"That's great! I know there were never enough things to do around here when we were kids, so it's good to see that things are changing. Claire's great with the little ones, so I'm sure they'll all be clamoring to get into her class!"

Jake nodded. "Even Kim and Jared's kids were all over the idea - Jesse was asking when it started and if he could help since he's in "double digits", and Katie was pestering Claire to find out what they would be doing. Quil ended up taking Claire away so she could 'have some peace and quiet'." We both laughed at his air quotes. We shared the sentiment that Quil had some ulterior motives for getting Claire alone.

"Excuse me," a polite female voice called from the office. I waved at Jake to work on the Saturn again, and walked over to the office.

I was stunned to see, there in the drab office of La Push and Pull Garage, the most lovely woman in the world. I just stared at her for a moment, then blinked ran my fingers through my hair. "Hi. What can I help you with, miss?"

"Well, I came in to ask about an oil change - we just moved here, and it was a long drive, so I'm sure we need at least an oil change, possibly more." She looked at me nervously, her hand ran through her long auburn hair, the same nervous habit I had with my shoulder-length black hair.

"We don't have a busy schedule today, so I'm sure we can fit you in. Do you want to leave it, or do you want me to tell you when we can do it?" I asked, trying to sound coherent while noticing her beautiful brown eyes and skin that was paler than mine, but darker than most of the folks in Forks. Her hair was loose, not tied back or braided, and she was dressed in a fitted red shirt and a pair of those pants that aren't quite pants and aren't quite shorts. The pants wrapped around her curves quite nicely. But it was her mixture of nervousness and confidence that called to me - that was me to a T.

"My new house is just down the street, so I can leave it. I work at home as a freelance web designer, so I don't have to worry about driving to work!" The woman smiled, and I swear it brightened the office.

"That's great! I'm lucky enough to work with my best friend, **and** just down the street from my house, so I'm not that worried about driving to work, either." I smiled back. I held out my hand "I'm Embry. I had heard a family had moved in, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. My name is Roma. I just moved back to La Push with my cousin, niece, and nephew. I visited here as a kid with my grandmother, and it's nice to move here - very quiet."

I tried hard not to laugh, La Push could be quiet, but it had also been the site of a couple wars between vampires and werewolves, so things were not always as they seemed. "There's a lot of nice stuff about the res," I replied. "I grew up here with my friends, and we're happy to stay here. A few of my friends are raising their own families here now."

Roma's face brightened. "When I walked in I thought I heard you saying something about a program for kids at the rec center? My niece and nephew are 6 and 4, they'd love to have something fun to do this summer."

"On sunny days, First Beach is great - lots of families. On rainy days it's good to have something to do, so a teenager we know named Claire is starting an art program at the rec center. She's a great kid - very mature for her age."

"That sounds great. I think the kids would like that. They aren't thrilled with only going places where I can have wireless internet!" Roma smiled at me, and I thought I'd melt.

Somehow, I managed a real reply. "I can understand that! There's a lot of kids in that age range around here, and a lot of parents watching out for them, so they do hikes in the forests, beach combing, and all kinds of things."

"Wow, that would be perfect. These kids were living in Philadelphia, and haven't had a lot of exposure to nature. My cousin is looking to get a job over in Forks, but only working part-time so he can hang out with the kids while I'm working." She stopped, suddenly seeming to realize she was chatting up her mechanic. A blush rose across her cheeks. "Oh, I'm so sorry for keeping you from your work!" she cried. "I'm sure you didn't need to listen to my ramblings!"

"No worries, it was nice to talk to you. Like I said, we aren't busy yet. We've got a couple folks dropping off cars in the next hour, but there's only one car here besides yours right now - you came in at the right time!" I smiled, hoping it was a friendly smile, not a stalker-ish smile, "When I spend a lot of time with the kids on the res, I find myself talking to **any** adult who comes near me! I think it's one of the side effects of talking to munchkins. You said you were in the car with them for a while. Did you drive here from Philly?"

"Yep. We swapped driving the car and the moving van from Philly to La Push. I think at this point I'm running only on adrenaline, who knows about the car!"

"Well, go worry about something else, Roma. I'll make sure the car is figured out. If you write down your number, I can call you when it's done." I handed her one of the slips for the garage and one of my business cards. "If you need the car sooner than you were expecting, just give me a call."

"Thanks, Embry. Here's the key. I really appreciate you fitting me in!" She handed me the key and the form, and walked out of the office.

I stood there in the office, watching her go, feeling like I should follow her, but knowing that I couldn't. I was staring after her when Jake startled me, "So, what was that all about?"

"Hunh?" I said, trying to shake my head free of cobwebs.

"I've never heard you talk that much to a girl in all your life, Embry, what's the deal?"

I shrugged, "There's never been a girl like that around to talk to." Then I walked out to get her car so I could put it up on the lift.

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**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	3. Imprinting & Impressions

**Chapter 3 - Imprinting and Impressions**

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

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Jake spent the first half of the morning working on that Saturn. It seemed as though the car was possessed - it would work for days, then suddenly stall for no discernable reason. Very annoying. Since it belonged to a single mom, we wanted it to work right all the time, and Jake was putting in some extra hours.

I did the oil change on Roma's Honda, and tweaked a few things that needed a tune-up. I had a few other oil changes during the day, so I worked on her car in between the others. I decided to vacuum out all the crumbs from the kids, and I ran it through the car wash, too. Even though the light mist would probably render that useless, I figured it was a nice way to welcome her to La Push.

Mondays can be super-busy with cars that broke over the weekend, or super-quiet, because everybody gets their car worked on later in the week so it will be OK on the weekend. This was a pretty light day, I was busy enough to be happy, but not so busy it felt crazed. The couple of teenagers we had working for us were kept busy enough to be out of trouble, too.

Around 5 I called to Jake and said I was leaving soon. I called Roma, but a male voice answered. "Hello, this is Embry from La Push and Pull, I was calling for Roma?"

"Oh, about the car. Right. Let me get her." I could hear a muffled yell, then Roma's voice, "Hello?"

"Hi Roma, this is Embry from La Push and Pull. Your car is done. I'm on my way home - can I drop it off for you?" I crossed my fingers, hoping I wasn't pushing too hard.

"Thanks, Embry! That would be great. I'm just finishing up something now, It'll only take a few minutes, but I don't want to stop."

"Then I'll finish real quick here and drop your car over. See you soon." After I hung up, I heard low laughter, and turned to find Jacob watching me. "What?!"

"Embry's got a crush!" Jake teased. "So **that's** why you've been working so hard on her car! I don't remember the last time I saw you all worked up about a woman. This is great!"

"Well, apart from the fact that she's living with her cousin, niece, and nephew and has no idea about the Pack and what's going on around here; sure, it's great!" I rolled my eyes, but I felt the pull towards the door stronger than ever.

"Man, you need to talk to Sam. This sure looks like Imprinting to me." Jake said, getting the teasing out of his voice. "Is she part Quileute?"

"I don't know about Imprinting, but I really want to get to know her better!" I said, willing myself not to get tense. "She says she used to visit her grandmother here. I think she is, partly. Her niece and nephew would be even less. I don't know if this cousin is on the Quileute side or not. I've got to drop her car over at her house, so I should find out then.

"Cool. The full moon is still a couple weeks away, but it would be good to know what we're dealing with in case the cousin is going to Phase. The niece and nephew are too young." Jacob paused for a moment, then said, "But don't forget to give her Claire's number, so the kids can go to the rec center. Marie and her gang will love having another kid around! So will the littles."

"Yes sir!" I mock saluted, then took the car over to Roma's house.

"Hey, Embry! Thanks for bringing my car back." Roma called from the porch. I parked her car in the driveway and walked up to the front porch that wrapped around the front half of the house like Sam's did. Roma was out there with two iced teas, but no other people.

"I figured I'd drop it off on my way home. Easier for everybody." I smiled and walked up the stairs, thinking I would just drop off the keys and walk home.

"Is everyone here as nice as you are?" Roma asked, taking the key and giving me a cup of iced tea. "I had a nice couple stop by with cookies yesterday, and then you worked on my car, told me about an art program for the kids, and then brought the car back! Another guy came over and took Nathan and the kids for a hike a couple minutes ago, too. I said I'd stay here and wait for you."

"I could've just left the keys, I'm sorry you had to miss the hike."

"Nah, I can hike anytime. This way they can show me around, It'll make them feel like they belong. It's nice to have the quiet!" Roma smiled at me and gestured to one of the chairs on her porch. "Please, sit down. You need to tell me what you had to do with the car, and how to get in touch with the teenager who's running the art program."

"Oh, OK." I sat down, glad that I had washed my hands before I left the garage, and that I had slipped off my coverall and was now in shorts and a t-shirt. "The car just needed an oil change and a minor tune up. I vacuumed out the crumbs from the trip for you, too. Jake has kids, and he wanted to make sure you had a clean car after driving cross country."

"Oh, that's really sweet! Thank you so much!" Roma's smile warmed me. She was so lovely! I just needed to make a good impression!

"You're welcome. I was happy to do it. Keeps me busy and out of trouble." I smiled back at her. "But let me give you Claire's number so you can call her about the art program over at the rec center."

"You know a teenager's number off the top of your head?" Roma looked at me, startled and a bit concerned.

"Well, I know most people's phone numbers here between living here my whole life and fixing their cars. Claire's a special case, though. She's dating my housemate, so I need to know her number to try to find him, he never turns on his cell phone." I was hoping this answer would be OK for her. I know that there are a lot of people who would think someone in his early 20s shouldn't be dating someone who is 16, and I didn't want to explain it.

I could see relief in her face. I was hoping it was because **I** wasn't the one dating the teenager. "That makes sense. Sorry, I got used to city living, and you have to worry about all kinds of things in the city that aren't a worry here."

"I understand. There are worries here, too, though. Our chief's wife was mauled by a bear in her teens. You have to be careful everywhere, unfortunately. La Push is pretty safe, but folks shouldn't go out in the woods alone at night." I was happy to see Roma smiling again.

"Going into the woods alone in the dark doesn't sound like a great idea anywhere! I just wanted the kids to live somewhere they could walk to a park without guns and gangs. I know there's stuff to watch out for everywhere - I just need to get used to life here! I wish my grandmother was still here to show me the ropes." Roma's face turned sad and wistful.

"Was your grandmother Helen? Did you inherit the house from her?" I saw Roma nod, "She was such a nice lady! She always had chocolate chip cookies cooling on the porch. I think she knew we would swipe some as we ran by, she always made too many to eat herself!"

Roma laughed, and it felt like butterflies got loose in my stomach, but it also lightened the air around me. "OH! So you were one of the boys who did that?" I nodded. "You're right - she did make extra for all of you. She always said there were kids running around with hollow legs, and they could use some cookies. I loved helping her make them, but I was kinda shy about meeting the kids here, so I stayed with her and made cookies and read. Wed go for walks, but she warned me about wolves and bears in the woods, so we never went out after dark."

I sipped my iced tea. "I wish I had met you when you were here visiting. But I'm glad to meet you now."

We sat in a companionable silence for a moment. Twilight was coming, and I started to wonder where her family had gone.

"Do you remember the name of the person who took your cousin and the kids for a hike?" I asked, wanting to make sure that it was a member of the Pack.

"Yes, his name was Seth. He said he was related to the chief somehow?" Roma looked at me questioningly.

I relaxed immediately. "Yeah, Seth is my buddy Jake's wife Leah's brother. Leah and Seth are Emily's cousins. Emily's Sam's wife - Sam's the chief, and in charge of the tribal council. Seth, Jake, and I are part of the council too. He's trustworthy. And if they are out a few minutes past sunset, Seth knows what to do in the woods at night."

"You're a member of the tribal council?" Roma asked.

"Yeah. There's a group of us who help out with security here - we keep an eye out for bears and other stuff in the woods, and keep the res safe. Some of us are on the council, too. The Pack watches out of the physical safety of the folks on the res, and the Tribal council watches out for everyone's well-being." I stopped, realizing I had said "Pack", but she didn't ask, so I guess she didn't notice. I smiled, "I hope you weren't expecting to be anonymous here - we're all involved in each others lives."

Roma smiled again, and I think my heart stopped for a moment. She was so beautiful! Oh, wait, she's talking " .. we moved from Philly was because it was too impersonal. We had a tragedy, and no one cared or helped. I'm glad my grandmother left me this house, now we can start over somewhere completely different."

"I've never been to Philly, but I've been to Seattle, and I know we're different from the people there! It's a tightly-knit community in La Push." I looked up and saw Seth walking back to the house, leading a young man in his late teens, and two young kids. "I think I see the rest of your family coming back. That reminds me, I should get back to my house. Quil cooked yesterday, so it's my turn today."

"You cook, too?" Roma's eyes widened. "So, let me get this straight - you work for the tribe as security, you work as a mechanic, you are polite to new people, you help out on the Tribal council, and you cook?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I grinned. "And I'm a partner in the shop. Jake started it, and we had fun with the name, but I joined him as soon as I could. I can be obnoxious, though. I'm not perfect."

"You, perfect?!" Seth ran up to the house, "What's he telling you?" he asked Roma.

"I was just teasing him about everything he does around the res." Roma replied, smiling at me. "Embry, I'd like you to meet my family. This is my cousin Nathan, my niece Madison, and my nephew Ethan. Maddie and Ethan, Embry says he knows about an art program this summer."

"Cool!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Yeah, cool!" agreed Ethan.

"Hi, Nathan." I put out my hand to shake his.

"Hi, Embry. Are you the one who fixed the car?" Nathan replied.

"Yep. Did you enjoy your hike with Seth?"

"He knows a lot about the nature out here. We're not used to any of it, so it's really cool. I'd love to learn more."

"Don't worry, there are lots of folks here who can teach you. Roma says you're looking for a part time job? We've got some teenagers working at the shop, I can keep my ear out for other jobs if I know what you're looking for."

"Thanks." The teen's face brightened. "I don't know what I'm looking for, though. I was just telling Seth that things are so different here, I feel a little lost. I think I'l have to get the lay of the land. But knowing the car's working will help Roma not worry so much about me when I drive somewhere."

Seth and I grinned knowingly at each other, "If Roma's at all like anyone who was in charge of us when we were your age, it won't just be the mechanics of the car she'll be worried about!" Seth laughed.

Seth and I said goodbye to Roman and her family, and he walked back to my house to mooch dinner off us. I figured it an even trade - dinner for information. After all, Seth had spent time in the woods with Nathan, Madison, and Ethan.

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**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	4. Dinner & Discussions

**Chapter 4 - Dinner & Discussions**

**A/N:**_ I've put up a picture of my dog Jack, whose fur is how I imagine werewolf fur - warm, soft, and cuddly. It's my avatar in my profile. _

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

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Seth sat at the kitchen table munching on some cheese and crackers while I started making a stir fry with some rice, something easy and fast that could serve a few people or have leftovers. He was having fun teasing me about Roma.

"You **drove her car to her house**?" Seth asked, amazed. "What the heck were you thinking?"

"I don't know, I really like her. A lot. And I wanted to see her again, so I drove the car over when I was done for the day. It seems to have worked, I got to talk to her." I smiled.

"Oh, gosh, you're a goner! No! You and I were the hold outs! Everybody else has found someone. This seriously isn't fair," Seth moaned.

"Why were you there, anyhow?" I asked.

"I got sent there to take the teenager and kids for a hike. Literally. Apparently when Jared and Kim were over last night, Roma said they were from the city. So Sam sent me over today to teach them what to look out for in the area. Bear tracks and things like that." Sam smiled.

"Right. We'll see how long before they hear the wolf howls and ask why we didn't say anything about wolves..."

"You're changing the subject, Embry! You're a goner for this girl, aren't you?" Seth punched me in the arm.

"Yeah. I need to talk to Sam after dinner. Jake thinks I might have Imprinted." I watched Seth's eyes widen. "It felt like a cliché - when I saw her, it felt like the earth moved, as if I **needed** her with me."

"Wow. I knew there was something up when Sam sent me over there, but I had no idea what it was." He shrugged. "They're a nice family. I didn't ask why they moved here, but I guessed from the shell-shocked looks on everyone's faces that it wasn't a happy reason."

I nodded. "All I know is that there was a tragedy where they were living in Philly and their grandmother Helen had died and left Roma the house, so they moved here to get away from the problems of the city."

"That makes sense. The teenager is definitely part Quileute. No question."

"I agree. I was too focused on Roma to notice, but since he's a teenager, do you think he'll Change this full moon?"

"I am pretty sure Nathan will change, but I don't know if it will be this moon or next. I'm pretty good at scenting this out, but there are others who are better than I am. I was thinking Paul might be able to find him a job. Paul's Angry Young Man days are over, but it looks like Nathan's still got some left in him. Paul would be a good mentor."

"I can't quite believe we're sitting here, making dinner, and talking about Paul being a mentor!" I laughed. "15 years ago we would have bet large amounts of money that he would be an Angry Young Man for eternity."

"No kidding. Thank goodness Dena's family moved back to La Push! Everybody gets all sappy once they've Imprinted - between Dena and their daughter Mia, he's a total pushover. Maybe he can get through to Nathan."

"Could you stop at Paul's house on your way home tonight? Maybe Paul has some work for a teenager, too. That would make it easier for him to mentor Nathan." I was trying to think creatively about how to help Roma with her family, but I was also very impatiently waiting for the stir fry to finish.

Seth set the table quickly, and Quil burst through the door right about the time when the food was ready. "Good timing, dude!" Seth greeted him.

"Yeah, he comes as soon as all the work is done!" I teased.

"Hey, I was patrolling today!" Quil protested. But then he let a grin escape. "I finished up quickly when i smelled dinner, though. You've become a good cook, Embry, and the smell carried well."

"Thanks. Hey, we were just talking about Paul's Angry Young Man stage, and finding out if he could mentor the new teenager who moved into town. He's part Quileute, and came here from Philadelphia after some kind of tragedy. Nathan's got that same attitude, and he lives with his cousin and two younger cousins, and we want someone to mentor him. He doesn't know the legends, and he should before he phases for the first time - we don't want him to hurt someone by accident." Quil nodded, motioning for me to continue talking, he was shoveling food into his mouth.

"So," I continued, "do you know if Paul needs some help at work? Nathan's looking for a part-time job this summer, and Paul could easily mentor the kid if he's working there."

"I'm pretty sure I heard Paul saying the other day that one of the kids from Forks quit on him, and he needs another teenager." Quil paused, looking at me carefully. "What's going on, Embry? You don't usually worry about people like this. They've only been here for a couple days, and you've met them and are wanting to take care of the teenager. How did that happen?"

I blushed. I could hear Seth sniggering, but Quil just looked baffled. "Roma dropped her car off for an oil change and tune-up after the drive from Philly. I talked to her for a while."

"Embry's got a girl! Embry's got a girl!" Seth crowed, still sounding like a teenager.

Quil raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really?"

I blushed more. "Yeah. I've got to go talk to Sam. You guys can clean up." I grabbed my anorak, and started towards the door.

"Embry, wait!" I turned around and looked at Quil. "Did it feel like you were physically pulled towards her? Suddenly all you wanted to do was make her happy?"

"Yes. That's it, exactly." I said.

"Congrats, man. I'll do whatever you need to give you a hand."

"Thanks. Oh! Roma's niece and nephew wanted to do that art stuff with Claire. Can you tell Claire I gave Roma her number?"

"Will do. Go talk to Sam." Quil waved me off, and I walked over to Sam's house.

The amount of thinking I needed to do could not be done in the short walk over to Sam's house. We lived close to our Chief and Alpha partly because of circumstance, and partly because it was useful for him to be able to easily contact two of the pack members who didn't have families. In any case, I could have walked for miles thinking about Roma, rather than the five minutes it took to get to Sam's house.

Emily answered the knock on the door, "Hi Embry! We've just finished up dinner. Can I tempt you with some dessert?"

_Sometimes good things keep getting better_, I thought. "Yes, please Em! I made dinner, and no one thought about dessert at our house. Now that I think about it, though, Seth should bring dessert when he comes to eat with us."

"Oh, no. Don't tell him that! He'll be all over me or Leah to make it for him!" Emily laughed. "I'm guessing you're not only here for dessert, though."

"Nope, I need to talk to Sam. Do you think I can tear him away from the girls for a few minutes?" I asked. Sam really valued his time with his daughters in the evenings.

"They might be distracted by some pie," she said, then looked at my widening eyes. "I think you and Sam would be equally distracted by pie. You can have some when you're done talking. This way I may get to learn something too."

"Hey, you can't withhold pie to find out pack business!"

"Oh really? How do you think I know so much about what happens here?" Emily's smile was devious. However, she did call Sam and the girls. "Pie's ready! Sam, Embry's here to talk to you before you get some pie."

_Dang, she really __**is**__ going to withhold pie until I tell her. Well, I should still talk to Sam first. It's the way things are supposed to be done._ I thought. "Hey, Sam." I greeted him.

"Hey, Embry. I figure this is important if it's taking my time away from the girls and pie?" Sam asked, a half smile on his face.

"Of course." I replied, and we walked into his office.

"So, what's going on?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Nothing bad. Quil just reminded me I should tell you. Er, It looks like I might have, um, Imprinted today."

Sam's eyes widened, but he didn't interrupt. He motioned his hand for me to continue.

"The new woman in town, Roma, came into the garage, and when I saw her I felt like I was either going to fall down or be pulled towards her. All I wanted to do was make her happy." I could have gone on for hours, but I knew I had one of those romantic looks on my face - the kind I had always teased others about. "Oh, and her teenaged cousin needs a part time job and a mentor. He'll likely change next full moon. He's a lot like Paul was at that age."

"This was worth interrupting pie." Sam said, and smiled. "Congratulations, Embry!"

By the end of the evening I wasn't sure why I had bothered to talk to Sam in his office - Emily found everything out within minutes anyhow. It was nice to visit with their family, it felt like I was a part of something good. For the first time, I wanted to have what Sam had. The trick was going to be convincing Roma.

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**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	5. Cars & Convsation

**Chapter 5 - Cars and Conversations**

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

**A/N:** _I thought I had already posted this chapter. Sorry!_

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I got lucky. In all my excitement to meet Roma and her family, I never dropped off the bill for her car's oil change. That meant that she needed to stop by the garage the next morning. _I couldn't have planned this better if I tried!_ I thought, loping towards the garage, happy to get to work.

Somehow I was the first one there. I **never** beat Jake to work, and I was happy that Roma couldn't have come in and spoken with Jake before I got there. I unlocked the door and looked at the schedule. There were a couple cars that had been dropped off overnight, their keys in the key drop, and a few other cars that would be dropped off later. The only car in the working bay was that troublesome Saturn - it was a 10 year old station wagon with almost 200,000 miles on it, and at this point Jake and I were doing much of the work for free, only charging for the occasional parts, just so we could solve its puzzle.

Soon Jake arrived and the day became busy quickly - oil changes, tune ups, plus a great motorcycle that needed a tune-up and some body work after a spill. I had gotten completely absorbed in the motorcycle when I felt a jerk inside myself, as if my heart was telling me to move somewhere. I pulled myself away from the bike and walked into the office, only to be greeted by Roma.

"Hi Embry! I was about to ring the bell, how did you know I was here?" She asked, smiling at me.

"Just lucky, I guess." I replied, grinning. "I really enjoyed talking with you last night."

"Me too. But I realized I never paid you. I got so caught up in our conversation that it slipped my mind. I'm so sorry!"

"Oh! Well, don't worry about it - I forgot, too. I guess I was distracted." I caught her eye, and my grin broadened.

"Me too," she said, in a quieter voice.

I cleared my throat and looked through the papers on the desk, "Um, here's the slip for the work we did yesterday."

She looked at the slip, "Wait - you're just charging me for the oil change. What about the other stuff you did?"

My thoughts stumbled, "Uh, uh, It's a welcome to La Push present."

"Thanks, Embry." Roma's smile returned, and it felt like the sun was shining inside the office.

"By the way, I talked to a couple people - my roommate is talking to Claire about Madison and Ethan joining the art program. I also heard that my friend Paul is looking for someone to work for him - Paul's got a landscaping business. He had, uh, a bit of a temper as a teenager, but he's mellowed out now and has a wife and daughter. I thought Nathan might get along with him." I finished this speech and felt out of breath - that's probably the most I've ever said to a girl. Woman.

"Thank you so much, Embry! I can't believe how nice the people on the reservation are. It's so different from where we were living. It feels too good to be true."

"We take care of our own." I said, my smile never far from my lips when I was looking at her.

"I'd really like to thank you for everything you've done. Can I take you out for dinner tonight? Nathan has always liked to babysit Maddie and Ethan - it means he gets pizza and money."

"That sounds great. It's Quil's turn to cook, so he'll be thrilled to get a break. Can I pick you up around 6? We could go to a diner over in Forks, if that's OK with you."

"I'll double check with Nathan that he's OK for the night. I'll see you at 6 if you don't hear from me." Roma wrote out a check for the oil change, and walked out of the office.

As Roma left, I felt at once like the sun had left, and yet like the sun had settled in my heart. _I'm going on a date with Roma!_ I sang to myself, wanting to jump with joy.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, though I couldn't get Roma out of my mind. When I was doing an oil change, I would think about how I had helped Roma with her car. When a woman thanked me for fixing her minivan, I remembered how lovely Roma was when she thanked me for working on her car. It was like this all day. **Everything** reminded me of Roma. I finally said something to Jacob in the afternoon when things quieted down.

"Hey, Jake, how did you know you Imprinted on Leah?"

"I thought I told you about this before." He answered.

"You probably did," I shrugged, "but it wasn't relevant to me then. I'm worried I'm going to become a stalker or something - I can't get Roma out of my mind, and all I can think about is seeing her tonight."

Jake laughed at me. What a great friend. Hah.

"Sorry, buddy. I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing near you." He laughed again. "But back to the Imprinting thing... I already knew Leah, so it was different. Our situation was unusual. She knew she had Imprinted on me, but I thought I was in love with Bella. When Bella chose to marry Edward and then leave with the Cullens, I ran into the woods, and didn't come back for a while. When I did come back, I saw everything with new eyes. I phased back at the edge of the woods, pulled on a pair of shorts someone had left there, and walked through the town, enjoying everything as if it were new to me.

"As I was walking through La Push, I literally walked into Leah. I fell into her arms, and it felt as if the world had shifted under my feet, she was my source of gravity. I looked up at her, and saw my feelings mirrored in her eyes. I just looked at her for a long moment, and then we kissed. I felt as if the world was right, like a puzzle piece that had clicked into place. There was no question about it, and there were no worries." Jake smiled at the memory.

"Wow. That's amazing." I breathed. "I should ask Paul about Dena, she was new to town like Roma. I bet he remembers what it was like and how he managed to tell Dena about the Pack and Imprinting without scaring her off."

"I can't believe you're thinking of asking Paul for advice!" Jake chortled. "He was such a hothead back in the day. I'm glad he's settled down, though. Dena and Mia are a perfect balance for him."

"Actually, I needed to ask him about hiring Roma's cousin Nathan anyhow, so I should give him a call." I walked over to the phone in the office, nervous about what Paul might say - how **do** you tell a woman you've fallen head over heels in love with her, you were destined to be together, and by the way you turn into a wolf? I can't imagine how Paul managed that.

Unfortunately, Paul's phone went straight to voicemail. "Hey Paul, it's Embry. I wanted to talk to you about the teenager who just moved into town, Nathan. He'd probably be a good member of your crew. I also wanted to ask you a couple questions about when you and Dena got together, so if you can call me back, that would be great."

I looked at my watch, it was 5:15. "Jake - I gotta run. I need to take a shower to get all this grease off."

"There's nothing going on for the next 15 minutes anyhow," he replied. "Don't forget to get her flowers, though!"

I grinned. "That was already on the list before the shower."

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At 6:00 on the dot, I pulled up in front of Roma's house. I was more dressed up than I usually am, but more casual than a lot of guys - a black polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants. I nervously got out of the car and walked up the porch stairs with the flowers in my hand.

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**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	6. Romantic Relationships

**Chapter 6 - Romantic Relationships**

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

_**A/N**__: I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner - I make and sell jewelry (link in profile), and was selling at a craft fair, so I needed to prepare for it and go. It sucks a lot of time and energy._

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I rang Roma's doorbell, and Nathan opened the door. He had perfected the sullen teenager look.

"Oh, it's **you**." He said.

I pushed down my annoyance, and went for politeness. "Hi Nathan, good to see you. Is Roma ready?"

"Not yet. She said to let you in, though." He stepped away from the door, grudgingly letting me inside the house, where I saw Madison and Ethan smiling at me.

"Thank you. Hi Madison, hi Ethan! Are you liking it here in La Push?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Madison enthused. "There are a lot of girls near my age here. Their moms came over with them today to meet us, and I went over to play at Nola's house! At our old house people didn't come visit much, and Aunt Roma would never let us go to a new house right away. This is fun!"

"I'm glad you had fun. Nola's mom and dad are good friends of mine. Ethan, how about you?"

"Nola's mom asked him to come too, but he didn't want to." Madison answered for her brother.

"Thanks, Madison. Ethan, can you tell me what you thought about today?"

"It was OK," he answered.

"Why didn't you want to go to Nola's house? Her sister Raven is close to your age, and she's a lot of fun. She loves dirt and bugs and snakes." I wanted to make sure he didn't think Raven was boring because she was a girl.

"I just wanted to stay with Aunt Roma and be safe." Ethan answered. "Madison came back happy. Maybe I'll go next time."

Gosh, a cautious 4 year old! What on earth had happened to them in Philadelphia? It must have been traumatic to still be affecting Ethan now. Even Madison's excitement was colored by what she saw as normal.

"Hi Embry!" Roma greeted me. I looked up from the kids and saw a vision of loveliness. I felt another lurch inside me, pushing me towards her. She was wearing a dark red top, black skirt, and some pretty black shoes that showed off her toes, which were painted to match her top.

"You look lovely! I'm honored to be your escort." I said, smiling at her. My brain was gibbering, It was so hard to think coherently around her!

"Thanks. You look very nice, yourself." She replied. I didn't think I looked as nice as she did, but I wasn't going to argue with her.

"I brought you some flowers, we should probably put them in water before we leave." I said, belatedly realizing that I hadn't given them to her right away.

"Oh, thank you Embry! You didn't have to do that! You've already done so much for us, helping us settle in." She walked into the small kitchen as she was talking, grabbed a vase from a cupboard, and filled it with water, putting the flowers in it.

"It's no problem. We all take care of each other here." I couldn't stop smiling at her! Oh, wait, I had something I needed to say, "Which reminds me, my friend Paul owns a landscaping business, and one of the teenagers working for him just quit because he got a job in Forks rather than out here. If you're still looking for a job, Nathan, he'd be happy to hire you. I think you'll like Paul. He's much more sarcastic than I am, he had quite the attitude problem when we were teenagers. He's a good boss, and he seems to really understand teenagers."

Nathan's face turned from sulky to almost pleased. "I didn't really **want** to work, I wanted to hang out and learn about the woods and plants and animals here - there's nothing like this in the city. I guess Landscaping would be OK, I could learn more about stuff and get paid, too. If I'm going to be stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, I should at least know what's going on."

"Yes, Nathan - you are stuck out here." Roma's voice turned stern, "I'd love it if Paul could hire you - maybe working hard and getting to know other teenagers would help you get used to it here."

"OK, Nathan. If you stop by the garage tomorrow when you get up, I'll walk you over to Paul's so you can get to know each other." I back to Roma, "Are you ready to go?"

Roma kissed the little ones, reminded Nathan about her cell phone, and all the other little details that people with kids need to remember. She seemed a little flustered, and the kids weren't happy to see her leave.

"We finally made it out!" Roma smiled at me.

"Madison and Ethan seemed really upset to see you go," I said, as we got into my car.

"Well, ever since their mom died, I've been taking care of them. I haven't dated before while acting as a single mom. It feels strange to leave them behind."

"Then next time we should bring them with us!" I said, wanting everything to be Just Right between me and her family.

"I wanted to get to know you better alone first," Roma said with a smile. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"There's a great restaurant nearby called The Willow Tree. My buddies take their wives there for special occasions, and there tend to be a lot of guys trying to impress their dates, too."

"Are you trying to impress me?"

"I really want you to like me, so I guess I am."

Roma put her hand on my arm, "Well, it's working. I already like you."

My grin got even broader. "I like you, too. The food is good at this restaurant anyhow, and the seating gives people some space to talk."

We arrived at the restaurant, and were seated in a nice corner table. The restaurant was a redone large older home, so there were several small dining areas, and each one had tables tucked out of the way, and the rooms were decorated with art, plants, and other stuff. I took it all in, having only heard about it when I babysat my friends' kids. It was the perfect place for our date. I was suddenly glad I had actually listened to Jake and Sam occasionally!

"This is lovely! I feel so special here. Thank you." Roma seemed to relax a bit in the quiet room.

As I looked at the menu, I noticed that many of the items were starred, and at the bottom of the menu it said, "Starred items can be specially prepared for our customers with larger appetites." I smiled, clearly someone there knew about werewolf appetites. Now I understood even more why the married members of the Pack came here!

We ordered, and Roma's eyes went a little wide when I asked for the larger portion. "Embry, where does all the food you eat go? Your body seems pretty trim, especially for someone who eats big portions!"

"I have a fast metabolism. If you let me hold your hand," and here she did it! she gave me her hand! "you can see that my body temperature is higher than most peoples' too."

We sat there, hand in hand, chatting about life at La Push, and how she and the kids are settling in. I wanted to ask her about what happened to the kids' parents, and why her cousin was living with her, but I didn't want to mess up this nice time we were having.

After dinner, I drove her down to First Beach, and we held hands and walked on the beach.

"I'm starting to feel a bit chilly," Roma said, when we were at the end of the beach. "Not all of us have high metabolisms."

"Maybe I can share my warmth with you?" I asked, and put my arm around her shoulder. She put her arm around my back, and curled into me.

I looked down at her beautiful face as she looked up into mine, and we kissed. It was so perfect. Our lips molded together as if we had been made for each other, and our tongues danced together as we deepened the kiss. I peppered her neck with kisses, too, pulling her close to me. She kissed my neck, as well, and I moaned, before taking her mouth again with mine.

Part of my brain came awake and remembered that even if I had Imprinted on her, she didn't know about Imprinting, and we had only known each other for a couple days. It was so hard, but I did break away a bit.

"Much as I hate to say it," I said, kissing her lightly on her cute nose. "we should head back to your house. We both have to work tomorrow, and Nathan will need to meet Paul."

"Mmmm, you're right, Embry. We need to be responsible. There are days when I wish I could be an irresponsible teenager again!" Roma said, and we started to walk back across the beach to the car.

"I've ben a bachelor for a while now, and I think I'm enjoying working at the garage much more than going to high school!" I said, wondering if I could get Roma to talk a bit about her life before La Push.

"You live in a house with your best friend, right?" Roma asked.

"Yep. Just me and Quil."

"That does sound appealing! I was just out of college when I ended up moving in with my sister Rowan. I did graphic design for companies during the day while she watched the kids, and then she waitressed in the evenings and on weekends while I was home with the kids. Together we brought in enough money for rent, food, and things, but we didn't live in a great part of Philly, so we couldn't do a lot of stuff outside unless we drove somewhere."

"It doesn't sound like you got a lot of time for yourself." I remarked. "But Madison and Ethan were lucky to have you in their lives. What happened to their dad?"

"We'd love to know that!" Roma answered, her annoyance showing on her face. I loved how her face changed to show her emotions so clearly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.

"Well, when Maddie was about 18 months old, Rowan found out she was pregnant again. She got all excited, and told Gavin, and he freaked out. Rowan had been waitressing while he did some handyman jobs, and they were barely making ends meet as it was, but they had our mom to help out with child care. Rowan got a craving for some caramel swirl ice cream, and sent Gavin out to get it. He never came back."

"What?!" I asked, appalled. Children were so special to us here on the reservation, I couldn't fathom leaving your family like that.

"Rowan found a note on the kitchen table later that night, just as she was going to call the police. She had been worried he had gotten hurt in some of the gang violence near their apartment. His note solved that worry, but started so many others."

"Oh, your poor sister! What a horrible experience. I can't imagine leaving a pregnant wife and a toddler! It's just mind boggling."

"You're right, it was horrible. Gavin's note said that he was too young to be feeling tied down, and he needed to go out and experience the world. That was it." I could feel some of Roma's tears on my shirt, and I pulled her closer.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. What a jerk. No man should ever do something like that. If anyone here did anything like that, the tribal counsel would pummel him!" I said, hoping I could get a little smile.

"If they could find him, they'd be welcome to it!" Roma replied. "We looked, but never found him. My family couldn't afford a private detective, but the police got involved for a while as a missing persons case. Nobody found anything. Eventually we gave up. My mom helped Roma out with childcare and everything until I graduated from college, and then I moved in with her. I love those kids, they're like my own, I felt very grateful to be a constant part of their lives."

"Any child who has you in their life is very lucky." I said, kissing her gently. "Anyone who has you in their life is lucky. I'd like to have you in my life."

"You're so sweet. I feel lucky to be in your life, too." Roma smiled.

We walked back to the car, arm in arm, occasionally kissing. I walked her to the door when we got to her house, and I kissed her gently before she went in, then drove home to my house.

"You're so far gone, Embry!" Quil laughed from the couch when I got in.

"Yep. And don't say any more or I'll tell Claire you talk about her in your sleep." I retorted. Quil had started to pull me down out of the cloud where I had been floating since I left Roma's side. She wanted to be a part of my life!

"OK, OK! Go to bed and dream about Roma. We should both get some sleep. I just want to finish watching this TV show, and I'm going to bed myself."

Quil said the right thing - I went to bed and dreamed of Roma.

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**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	7. Men & Memories

**Chapter 7 - Men and Memories**

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

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The next morning, I woke up early, still excited from my date with Roma the previous night, and hoping I could see her again that day. I started making breakfast - coffee, breakfast sausages, a bunch of scrambled eggs, and a melon I cut up while the other stuff was cooking. Quil woke up hungry, and was thrilled to see that I had already started making breakfast, and he joined me in devouring the food as soon as it was ready.

"So, when are you going to tell Roma about the Pack?" Quil asked, once our mouths weren't busy with eating.

"I don't know. I need her to trust me enough to tell me about what happened in Philadelphia before she moved here. I think she'll consider the Pack the lesser of two evils, though. But I want to know she trusts me. She told me about her sister's husband leaving her - right after she found out she was pregnant with Ethan!"

"Oh, what a jerk! I hope he's paying massive child support.

"Nope, he ran off and no one could find him." I replied. "I want to pummel him myself, and I just met the family."

"So was Roma helping her sister with the kids before she moved here?" Quil asked.

"Yeah, she moved in right after she finished college, a little bit before Ethan was born. She seemed a bit envious of our bachelor life, she has to make sure her cousin can watch her niece and nephew before we can go out."

"Let me talk to Claire, once the art program starts next week they'll meet her. Claire has a way with kids, and I know she'd love to help you be able to spend time with Roma." Quil smiled.

"You'd give up time with Claire so I could go out with Roma?" I asked, stunned.

Quil looked a little sheepish. "Well, I thought I could come over after she put them to bed, but isn't it the thought that counts?"

I laughed. "Absolutely! I'll talk to Roma about it. I'm sure Nathan will have other sullen teenagers to pal around with soon. I'm going to try to take the kids with us next time - maybe mini-golf, or bowling?"

"That sounds smart. Being nice to her kids will keep you on her good side, for sure!" Quil winked at me.

"I really do want to hang out with them - I'm not trying to be manipulative!"

"I know, I'm just teasing. Don't you need to go to work?"

"Oops, yep. See you later." I hurried out the door, and got to work just as Jake was opening up.

"Did you have a nice time last night?" Jacob smirked at me.

"Yes, thank you. How was your night? Did you and Leah have a nice time?" I replied.

"Oh, yeah. Putting the kids to bed is incredibly romantic!" He rolled his eyes.

"Did you get a chance to call Paul? I think Nathan's actually interested."

"Yeah. Paul said to bring him by sometime before lunch, he's willing to hire him on your say-so, but said he'd kick your butt if the kid was useless."

"He's such a loving friend." I said, sarcastic. After that there wasn't a lot to say - we had several cars to work on that had been dropped off overnight. Plus that Saturn that was stumping all of us. I was deep in an engine when Nathan walked in around 10 am.

"Hey Embry. You wanted me to come over this morning?" Nathan said, looking at the inside of a car with wonder.

"Yep. Let me just wash up and then I'll take you over to meet Paul. Please do me a favor and give this job a chance. He's taking you on without references or applications, and I really don't want to have to deal with him kicking my butt if you slack off."

"Why do you think I'd slack off?" Nathan asked, defensive.

"You're a teenaged boy! All of them slack off from time to time. I remember, I was one!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, I'll try not to get caught slacking off."

I smiled at him, which made him blink. I don't think he was expecting that. "Hey Jake!" I called, "I'm taking Nathan over to see Paul. I'll be back in a few." Jake grunted from under a car - he had heard me. I washed my hands, and walked out of the garage with Nathan following me.

"Embry?" Nathan said, his voice more tentative than I had heard before, "thanks for doing this. Roma's thanking you with lunch at our house today if you can make it."

"I'll do my best. You're welcome Nathan. Like I kinda said to Roma, Paul was a bit of a troubled teenager - lots of anger. I think you two will get along really well. He's a regular guy now with a wife and kid, but he likes having teenagers work for him so he can remember what it was like."

Nathan nodded. I wasn't really expecting him to talk. I wondered what had made him so angry - his attitude was a lot like Paul's, but Paul's anger had to do with being a werewolf. Nathan didn't have to deal with that. Yet.

The meeting with Nathan and Paul went well. They hit it off, and I left. I got a few more things done, and then I washed up and went over to Roma's house.

"Hey! You came!" Roma's face lit up with a smile when she saw me.

"Of course I came!" I walked up the steps to Roma's front porch and kissed her gently. "How could I turn down the invitation?"

"I wasn't sure the invitation was passed on to you." Roma smiled. "Come on in. I made a bunch of sandwiches. Maddie and Ethan are eating peanut butter and fluff, but I have ham and cheese, salami and mustard, and pastrami and provolone."

"Sounds great!"

"Which one?"

"All of them." I smiled at her, and she teased me yet again about my hollow leg. I watched the kids eat their sticky, sweet lunch, and helped them wash up as Roma got our lunches ready.

"OK kids. I got you a treat from the garage." I said. "Here are 4 cars that are little versions of real cars. They even have hoods that open so you can see the engines, and 2 of them are convertibles, and you can push down the roof!"

"Wow!" said Ethan. "Thank you!" said Madison, "Can we go play with them now?"

"Of course," replied Roma. "Just don't break anything."

"C'mon Ethan! The blocks will make great roads! I bet we an build a good jump for them, too!" And with that, Madison and Ethan ran off to their rooms.

"You didn't have to do that, Embry. Thank you so much."

"Well, I did have an ulterior motive." I wiggled my eyebrows. "I get you alone for a minute or two if I bring them something to play with!"

She thwacked me on the head, then laughed. "You're so bad!"

I pulled her into a hug, and then kissed her gently. "No, I'm very good."

Roma looked a little disoriented, but she agreed. "Oh, yes."

I kissed her again, but then I did need to eat the sandwiches. "These are really good, thank you so much! I was running late and forgot to pack a lunch."

"I wanted to repay you for taking Nathan over to meet Paul. I take it that went well?"

"You didn't have to repay me for that! But yes, it did go well. He and Paul connected right away. Paul's attitude was very similar to Nathan's when he was a teenager, so I thought they'd get along." I said, smiling at her.

Roma's smile faded. "Are you sure he's OK being with Paul and the teenagers who work for him?"

I was startled. "Yeah. Paul's married now with a 2 year old and a business. He hires kids he thinks need some extra attention, but he gives it to them. He's a great guy, he just had trouble controlling his anger when he was a teenager."

"If you're sure... I'll trust you. I just got worried when you said he was like Nathan." Roma still looked stiff and anxious. She probably wouldn't feel better until she met Paul as well as his wife Dena. I needed to check when the next Pack get-together would be.

"Roma, what's up with Nathan? Can you tell me what happened with him back in Philly? I won't know the best way to keep my eyes out for him if I don't know what happened."

Roma took a deep breath. "Nathan came to live with Rowan and I about three and a half years ago. Our parents - mine and Rowan's, as well as our Uncle Drake and Aunt Flora, Nathan's parents, all went out to dinner a lot. My mom and her sister were really close, so they went out to eat together at least one night a week. Nathan would either stay on his own or with us. He had been getting into some trouble with some of the 'bad crowd' at school, so he was with us that night. Thank goodness."

I picked her up and set her in my lap, my arms around her. "You don't have to talk about it if it upsets you so much."

"No, you should know. Anyhow, my parents and Nathan's parents were on their way home when a guy driving a tractor trailer truck fell asleep, floated over the median, and crashed into their car. They died instantly." I could feel Roma's body shudder with her tears. I held her to me, rubbing her back.

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm just so, so sorry." I couldn't come up with anything else to say - there really wasn't anything else to say.

"Thank you, Embry." Roma said, and she wiped her eyes. "Well, after all that, Nathan stayed with us, we were the only family he had left. We were so busy with our jobs and the little kids, we missed some of the warning signs in Nathan. To make a long story shorter, he got involved with a gang. By the time we knew about it, he was in too deeply to get out easily, and we just had to hope he would be safe. I have to skip over some other stuff, but we ended up moving here to get him away from the gang."

"That must have been terrifying!" I held her tightly. "I was so worried when I was a teenager, because it looked like several of my friends were in a gang. It seemed like they were all being brainwashed by one guy, and he kept them from talking to us. It was horrible."

"Are there gangs here?" Roma's voice was scared.

"No, no no. I just 'thought' there was - it turned out to be the security group, and we can't always talk about what we're doing because of, well, security."

Roma laughed. "So you became a member?"

"It wasn't a choice, it just kinda happened. But I'm glad - I like being an active member of the tribe."

"There really aren't any gangs here?" Roma's voice showed her hope.

"No gangs."

Roma let out a long breath - she must have been holding it for a while. "Oh, I'm so relieved! Now I can worry about bears and things in the woods."

I laughed. "There are always things to worry about, no matter where you live!"

Roma nodded. "This parenting thing isn't easy. And I even got to skip the whole pregnancy and labor part! I couldn't love them more, though. They're great."

"I agree. I'd like to get to know them better - can we go out tonight? I would suggest mini-golf, but since it's raining, maybe bowling? They sell pizza there, too." Now I was the one holding my breath - would she agree?

"That sounds great. We'd love to join you. You should be getting back to work now, though."

"Are you going to be all right? I can call Jake if you're still shaken up by what we were talking about." I looked at her, worried.

"I've been dealing with these horrors for a while, I'll be OK." Roma replied, then she kissed me gently as I went back to work. That kiss would carry me through until I saw her and her family that night.


	8. Accurate Advice

**Chapter 8 - Accurate Advice**

**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write the Twilight series. I just have fun playing with her characters and her world. **_

_**A/N: **__Sorry this was delayed - a combination of chronic illness, specialists, and Halloween prep has taken over my life. I wish I could escape into a story!_

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Some days fly by, while others drag. My lunch hour with Roma and her family had literally flown by. This afternoon, before I could take them all out to the bowling alley, was dragging incredibly slowly. I started thinking, and of course my brain went straight to Roma.

I wanted some advice on how to tell a woman you're a werewolf, but clearly Jacob wasn't the right guy to tell - his wife is also a werewolf, and his ex-crush was in love with a vampire, so a werewolf wasn't freakish. Hmmm... Sam - no, he's very touchy about that because he scarred Emily. Quil - No, he had to tell Claire when she was a teenager, and she was brought up here, so she knew the legends pretty darn well. Jared and Kim were dating as teenagers, so it's been a while since they had that talk. Thinking and thinking, and it really leaves me with Paul. I already owe Paul big for hiring Nathan, I don't know if I want to owe him even more.

Wait, there's something else to worry about! "Hey, Jake!" I called. The teenagers had left, so it was just us in the shop, straightening up before closing.

"Yeah Embry? What's up?" Jake replied. We tend to do the cleanup to music, not chatting, so he knew something was going on.

"Your kids like me, right?" I asked, uncertain.

"Duh, dude. You're the godfather-in-waiting for Quil and Claire's children-to-be; you're Will's godfather, and I have a feeling you'll be the godfather for Sam & Emily's next baby. Yeah, kids like you. Most other people do, too."

"You're not just saying kids like me because you're my friend, right?" I asked, feeling very nervous now.

"What the heck? Why would I let you watch my kids while I go to a movie if they didn't like you? You're one of the favorite adult babysitters for the kids of the Pack. You know this. They love riding on your back as a wolf. Heh."

"I can't do that with Roma's niece and nephew." I answered.

"Sure, but the kids like you in general. You're a fun guy." Jake looked at me. "Wait, you're doing something with Roma's family tonight, aren't you? You're worried the kids won't like you."

"Bing! You win a prize!" I said, sarcastic.

"Relax. Let's get your mind onto something else. Do you know why she's raising them? And why her cousin lives there?"

"No and Yes. Her ex-brother in law was an idiot who left his wife, Roma's sister, when she was pregnant with Ethan. Roma moved in with them when she graduated college to help out with childcare and money. Then Roma's folks and Nathan's folks were in a fatal car crash. Nathan moved in with Roma and her sister, and then he got involved in a gang." I paused. "That's all I know so far. Except Roma is very worried about gangs and gang activity here."

Jacob blinked at me. "Here? She's worried about gangs here?"

"Well, I told her there were no gangs. I didn't ask her if she thought werewolves were scarier than gangs, though. I didn't want to know the answer to that question yet."

"Did her grandmother tell her about the old legends?" Jake asked.

"Her grandmother was only here part-time, so I doubt it. I need to double check. though."

"Well, you might want to tell some of the legends to the kids. You've done a great job retelling the legends to the kids of the Pack - you know how much Will loves to climb up into your lap for a story! You might not love to talk a lot, but you do a great job of talking if you're being the storyteller."

"Thanks so much, Jake. I'll try that. Maybe we can talk about the legends when we're eating or bowling, and I'll tell one of the less scary legends as a bedtime story." I felt relieved - now I had a topic of conversation!

"You've been out of it all day, Embry. Go home and get cleaned up so you can go over to Roma's house! You know you'll have fun with the kids. I'd be more worried about the teenager, Nathan! Who knows what stories Paul told him!" Jake laughed at me as I ran away from him, back toward the sanctuary of my house.

"Hi Embry!" Claire's clear voice rang out when I walked through the door. "Are you eating here? I'm taking a turn cooking and wondered how many I'm cooking for."

"You're going to be thrilled with this, Claire." I said, giving her a big hug. "Not only are you going to be eating dinner alone with Quil, but I'm going on another date!"

"Yay!" Claire was jumping up and down. "Oh, Embry! I really hope she is feeling the Imprinting too. It does make sense if you are seeing her a couple times a day - its like you can't get enough of each other, right?"

"Exactly! That's exactly it! I don't know how I managed before her, and I don't know what I'd do if she wasn't around. I need to be with her."

"Now you understand why I'm here all the time?" Claire said. I knew I was going to catch a lot of teasing - I had teased her too much about being "addicted" to Quil.

"Yep, yep, yep." I rolled my eyes. "And now I don't know how Quil has waited so long..."

"It's an order from Uncle Sam. Quil can't go against that," Claire interrupted. "I thought you knew that."

"No, I just thought you and Quil had massive self-restraint. I think there's some more teasing I need to apologize for. I'm sorry to you first."

Claire shrugged. "It's OK. It's part of life - I'm a teenage girl dating a werewolf guy who looks to be about 10 years older than me. You think I don't already get looks?"

"You tell us who gives you crap, Claire, and we'll pound them."

"That's **why** I haven't told you!" Claire retorted, and it was her turn to roll eyes.

"Back to the topic of ME, did you see Roma's niece and nephew today?

"Yes, Embry. Your future step-children are lovely. We were painting with 'brushes' you find in nature - feathers, stones, shells, sea weed, and things like that. Madison did a great job, and started to feel comfortable with some of the other kids around her age, like Nola, Marie, and Katie. Ethan seems a bit clingier and quieter, but he hit it off with Raven, and Marie was trying to show Ethan how to do everything."

"That sounds great, Claire! Did Roma leave, or did they need her to hang out?"

"She had to stay this time, but we'll see what happens next time. I'm hopeful. Ethan needed some time to adjust, and since they just moved here, it makes sense." Claire was so empathetic to the kids!

"You're so great with them! Oh, and do you want to hear something funny?"

"Sure, I think. Your sense of humor has improved, right?"

"This is more like funny strange, with a bit of funny hah-hah added."

"OK, shoot." Claire looked at me, ready to either laugh or roll her eyes. Ahhh, teenagers.

"So, I was talking to Roma, and I learned that she has been living with her niece and nephew since Ethan was born, and that Nathan moved in when all 4 parents died - his parents and her parents. I don't know what happened to the kids' mom, though. The dad just bailed."

"This part's not supposed to be funny, right?" Claire clarified.

"Right. It's just the setup. So after the parents died, Nathan got involved in a gang. I'm gathering that it's the kind of gang you're in until you die or move far away. Something big happened, and then they moved here." I continued.

"Probably something to do with Maddie and Ethan's mom." Claire guessed.

"Probably. Anyhow, I'm out with Roma, and she's all worried about Nathan settling in, and she asked if there were any gangs in La Push, since that's what she's afraid of. She's not afraid of werewolves, she's afraid of **gangs**."

Claire rolled her eyes. "She doesn't **know** about the werewolves, Embry. And you need to tell her **soon**. If she finds out because Nathan phases in front of her, she'll never forgive you."

"I know. I'm going to tell some of the legends at dinner and bowling with the kids today. I don't think Roma learned them from her grandmother - Helen only lived here part time after she got married."

"Ah. Well, good luck! I didn't have a problem with it, but then, I'd been around the Pack all my life. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I knew that something was going on. Roma's coming from a different perspective. I'd move slowly. But not too slowly, remember about Nathan." Claire sure was persistent.

"Thanks for all your ideas and advice, Claire. We'll see how Roma and the kids react to the legends tonight. I said, and after quickly changing my clothes I drove over to Roma's house.

"Embry! I've been waiting for you! Auntie Roma says your taking us out for pizza and bowling?" Maddie was jumping up and down on the porch. "I said I'd wait out here to keep watch."

"I hope you didn't have to wait too long." I said, and ran up the stairs.

"Nope, just a few minutes. Can I give you a hug?" Maddie smiled at me.

"How can I say no to that? Of course!" I squatted down and hugged her, she was so sweet and gentle.

Maddie grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house. "Auntie Roma, he's here! And he likes hugs!"

Roma smiled at me, Ethan glued to her hip. "Welcome, Embry! We're just waiting another minute for Nathan to come home, and then we're ready to go. Ethan's feeling a little clingy after going to the art program, but usually he calms down once we get going."

"Thank you all for agreeing to come out with me. And Ethan, it's always hard to do something new, isn't it? Claire told me you both did great work today! She's excited to see you again."

"You saw Claire?" Ethan asked, his eyes brightening. Of course he'd be entranced by Claire - all the kids were!

"Yes, she was making dinner for my roommate when I stopped at home to change. She also suggested that I tell you all some of the Quileute legends tonight - you should know them if you're going to live here." I said.

"What are the legends about?" Madison asked, a serious look coming across her face.

"Well, I'll tell them once Nathan is home, but they are mostly about the spirit warriors who protect La Push from danger." I summarized.

Madison was wide-eyed. "There are special warriors to protect us, now that we live here?" she asked.

"Absolutely, sweetie. La Push is very safe. Except if you go into the woods in the dark without someone who is part of our patrols. You'd be safe in the woods with me, but you shouldn't go into the woods alone or just with Ethan, or even with Auntie Roma or Nathan right now."

"Nola said her mom got hurt by a bear when she was a teenager. She said that you can't go into the woods without a member of the Pack. Who are the pack?" Madison was already asking the hard questions! Six-year olds do question everything, don't they.

"The Pack is the name for the people who help keep La Push safe. Nola's dad, Sam is the leader of the tribe, and the leader of the Pack. I'm one of the helpers, and so is Seth, and the dads of most of the kids you met, along with one of the moms - Marie's mom." I said, hoping that was enough information to satisfy her.

Luckily for me, Nathan came through the door at that point, so the interrogation from a six-year-old was over.

"Hey everybody. What's going on?" Nathan said as he walked through the door.

"Hi Nathan. Why don't you go wash up - Embry's taking us out for pizza and bowling. We all want to hear about your day!" Roma said.

"Pizza? OK. I'll be ready in a minute." Nathan said, and walked quickly towards the bathroom to clean up. It was only a couple minutes later when he was ready to leave.

"Let's all pile into the car, folks - the bowling alley is in Forks, so we can't really walk there." I guided everyone to my van. It was handy for driving a gang of werewolves out for pizza, or for dealing with a bunch of auto supplies. I've carried dirt bikes in it, as well as some of my friends' kids.

We grabbed the booster seats for Madison and Ethan, and piled into the car. It felt so right to be there, sitting next to Roma in the front seat, with her family in the van with us, ready to go do something together. As I started the van, I reached over and took her hand. I looked into her beautiful eyes, and almost lost myself in her beauty. "Have I said how beautiful you are yet tonight?" I asked, in a low voice.

"No, you haven't." Roma said, a smile playing on her lush lips.

"You look stunning." I said, and then I smiled. "I'm worried other men might look at you tonight - maybe we should just stay home."

"You look quite handsome yourself," she replied. "I've got to worry about the women looking at you. But we promised pizza to a teenager, and bowling to two kids - we have to follow through.

"I promise I'll only have eyes for you. I'd like to promise a little attention for you after we're done - perhaps a cup of tea on the porch when the kids are in bed?" I said, knowing I was moving fast, but hoping hoping hoping that she was feeling the attraction I was, and that she wasn't denying it.

"That sounds like the perfect ending to the evening." Roma's eyes sparkled. "Sounds like we have something for everyone. But you should keep your eyes on the road, not me!"

"If you insist. I do know these roads pretty well by now, though." I replied, and looked back at the road. I didn't let go of her hand, for once grateful that the van was an automatic rather than a stick shift.

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**A/N:** _Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute!_


	9. Legendary Love

**Chapter 9 - Legendary Love**

**Disclaimer:** _**I don't own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse. I just like having fun with the characters and world the wonderful Stephenie Meyer created.**_

_**A/N:**__ 2/3 of my stories updated in the same day! Woot!_

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As I drove to the bowling alley, I told one of the shorter Quileute legends about how the Spirit Warriors were created to protect the tribe from the Cold Ones. Once we were eating the pizza, I told them one of my favorite legends - when the spirit warriors turn the Quileute men into wolves to protect the tribe from the Cold Ones, the vampires.

When I had finished, I could see looks of awe on all of their faces. Nathan was the first to break the silence. "Paul was telling me about some of those legends when I was at work," he said. "Paul also said that you were a great storyteller, and that you would probably talk about the legends."

"How was your first day, Nathan?" Roma asked, as even after a great legend, mundane matters must be taken care of.

"It was great!" Nathan enthused, voicing excitement I had rarely seen in kids his age. "Paul's a great boss. He told me what to expect, and what he would tolerate and what he wouldn't. He said he needs kids to work hard, but that I'd end up learning a lot, meeting some great people, and having fun, too. I definitely worked hard today, but I am learning a lot about the life here and the different plants."

"Oh, Nathan, I'm so glad!" Roma said, her face clearly showing her relief. Under the table, my hand squeezed hers, and she smiled at me.

"Folks around here really seem to believe those legends." Nathan said.

"Well, we've all lived with them our whole lives." I answered. I didn't want to tell them they were true right away, but I didn't want to lie, either. "Sometimes you see things that can't be explained any other way, but the legends explain them." I shrugged. "My friend Jacob, my partner in the garage, his dad Billy was the greatest storyteller. We were all so sad when he died. I think I learned most of the legends, though. I don't want them to be lost."

"I can see that." Nathan said, and I was surprised. I thought he'd pooh-pooh me. I was expecting something comforting from Roma. Her hand was on my leg, and it was more distracting than comforting. FOCUS, Embry!

"There were things the guys were saying today that made a lot of sense - special rituals in how they planted certain plants, all kinds of stuff. I learned so much about plants, it was great! I hope Paul thinks I worked hard enough, because I really want to keep this job."

"That's fabulous!" Roma said, "I haven't seen you this excited about anything in a while."

"I know." A darkness passed over Nathan's face. "This is so completely different from the wrong side of the tracks in Philly - it's so cool! I thought "Landscaping" meant just mowing lawns. I was willing to do that, but I wasn't going to be excited to go to work each day. This is so much better! Paul tells stories about when he was a teenager, too - how he lost his temper a lot and almost lost his friends. He got all mushy for a minute, talking about how his whole life changed when he met his wife Dena, but then we all threw dirt at him, so he stopped." Nathan smiled at the memory, and it lit up his face, a face that hadn't smiled since I had met him. He was an attractive kid. Maybe Claire's sister Abby should meet him? Hmmmm...

"I'm so relieved, Nathan." Roma was saying. "I know you didn't want to leave Philly, but it was the only thing we could do. I'm glad you're starting to settle in."

Ethan and Maddie had been eating quietly during all of this discussion, but they seemed to have gotten fed up with it. Ethan started growling at Maddie, so she opened her mouth and stuck her teeth out like she had fangs.

"I'm going to get you, bloodsucker!" Ethan cried, chasing Maddie.

"No you won't, you dog!" Maddie replied, turning around to face him.

I leapt over the table. "Kids, that's not an indoor game. And these legends are usually treated more seriously by the Quileute people. Remember, the Quileutes believe in the Spirit Warriors. You wouldn't want to get the spirits angry."

Ethan looked up at me, so I squatted down to be more at eye level. "Do you believe the legends, Embry?"

"Yes, Ethan, I do. And I think you and Maddie could both play werewolves, but I don't think it's a good idea to play-fight between the Spirit Warriors and the Cold Ones. OK?"

"OK." Ethan nodded.

I turned to Madison. "OK," she said. "But can you teach us how to growl, too?"

I blinked. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"When we were fighting, and you jumped over the table, you were growling." Madison answered.

_Oh gosh. Um... How do I answer this one? And why did I jump over the table? Roma's definitely going to have questions for me before I'm ready to answer..._

"I'm not sure you can do it when you're little - I think you might have to wait until you're taller. But we can practice. **Outside** your house one day. OK?"

"Yup." she said. "Now can we bowl?"

"Of course!" I replied, and went to get our shoes.

"Can we play boys against girls, Embry?" Ethan asked as we waited in line.

"That doesn't seem fair." I answered. "Then it's 3 boys against 2 girls. Maybe we should just play trying to get our best score? Then we know what to try to beat next time we're here."

"You'll take us back here?" A light seemed to go on in Ethan's face. He positively glowed. "Yeah. I really like your Aunt Roma, I like bowling, and I like you, too. I'm sure that we'll be back."

Ethan hugged one side of me, and Madison got the other side. I could feel myself tearing up. "Thanks, guys!" I said, then squatted down to give them both real hugs.

"Auntie Roma gets lonely." Madison said seriously. "You're not going to leave, right?"

"Sweetie, I've lived here my whole life, I promise I'm not leaving."

"No, I didn't mean that kind of leaving." Madison said, and I looked at her serious little face as my heart skipped a beat. "I mean will you die and leave us?"

"That's a big question!" I managed to say. "I don't think I will. I'll try really hard not to die. Is that OK?"

Madison nodded. "I don't think anyone can promise they won't die. Just that they'll try not to." Ethan nodded with her.

_How the heck did I get into a conversation about death with a 4 and 6 year old? Shouldn't they be talking about their favorite cartoon character or something? These kids have been through a lot. I'm guessing their mother died. I'm going to have to talk to Roma about this._

The bowling was a lot of fun. We had bumpers on the lane for the 2 younger bowlers, but they did really well, and might not need the bumpers for long. Nathan seemed more relaxed, and he played well, too. I kept getting distracted by Roma, who would sneak me a kiss, or put her hand on my thigh. I played very badly thanks to her distractions. That might have been her point, because she won!

I told the kids another one of the Quileute legends, this time one about the Spirit Warriors protecting the reservation from danger - danger from the Cold Ones, and danger from other causes as well. Ethan and Madison seemed very content that the reservation was under protection, and they dozed off to sleep in the car. I helped Roma bring them up to their beds when we got back to her house, and Nathan went into his room to watch a movie.

"Alone at last!" Roma whispered in my ear as we sat out on her porch.

"Mmmmm... I like the sound of that!" I replied, and kissed her. Her kisses were welcoming, her tongue teasing me.

"I won the game of bowling, so I think you're going to have to do my bidding tonight." Roma said when we broke apart to catch our breaths.

"Hey, you only won because you kept distracting me!" I replied, but I was grinning, so my objection didn't carry much weight.

"I don't think it matters how I won, it matters that I did win." Roma said, and pulled me inside.

We sat down on the couch, away from the prying eyes of anyone who might walk past, and Roma kissed me again, her hands sliding under my shirt and up my back, tracing my muscles.

"You growled!" Roma said in surprised delight as she broke away from the kiss, but still holding me tightly.

I blushed. "Yeah, I think I did. You got me all wound up! I'm trying to be a gentleman because I haven't even known you a week, but it is **so** hard when you kiss me like that!"

"The growling is sexy, Embry. Very sexy." Roma's eyes twinkled.

I pulled her close, kissing her, tracing her neck line to that scrumptious hollow at her collarbone, then back up to her little earlobes, all while my hands slid under her shirt so I could feel her silky skin.

"It doesn't feel like I've known you for less than a week," Roma managed to say, her voice husky. "I feel like I've known you forever and I will know you forever."

"That's how I'm feeling too," I admitted. "As much as I hate to say it, I do need to get some sleep so I can work in the morning."

"I'll have Ethan and Maddie waking me up far too early, too. It feels so decadent to be sitting her snuggled against you. You're so warm and cozy." She laid her head on my chest, and I didn't know how I'd be able to leave her house. All the stories Quil had told me about not wanting to leave Claire suddenly made so much sense.

"There's another legend, Roma. One I didn't talk about with everyone else." I said, wanting to tell her something about how I was feeling.

"Oh, really? Is this one for adults?"

"Well, it's one I want to tell you, and you're an adult." I said, smiling down at her and kissing her cute nose.

"Out with it Embry. I need to hear something good if I'm giving up sleep, or else I'll have to interrupt you with kisses." Roma smiled and kissed me again.

I felt dizzy when we finished. "How many guys did you leave behind in Philly, love? You're amazing."

Roma blushed. "I didn't have time to date when we were in Philly."

My eyebrows rose, but I took her at her word. "OK, so here's the idea. One of the effects of the Spirit Warriors on the community is Imprinting. There is a female for each male out there. They are two parts of the same whole, soulmates, two parts of a puzzle. When they meet, it's like they are pulled together by gravity, and they can't do anything but love each other. Even if they had thought they were in love with someone else."

Roma looked at me, her eyes wide. "Really?" I nodded. "Has this happened here before?"

"Yes. It's called Imprinting. There are quite a few couples who have Imprinted - Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, Jake and Leah, Paul and Dena, and some others, too." I decided to leave the story of Quil and Claire for another day, this was enough to handle.

"Maybe that could be why it feels like I've known you forever?" she asked, her voice sounding tentative, rather than self-assured.

"There's only one reason I brought it up - it describes how I felt when I first met you, and each time I've seen you since then." I paused, blushing madly and hoping I didn't sound crazy.

"Oh, Embry. Me too. Me too." I smothered her in kisses, pulling her gently onto my lap so I could have more of her body touching mine. All thoughts of needing sleep were forgotten as we kissed.

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**A/N:** _I really don't want to beg for reviews, but I'd love to know what you think!_


	10. The Past and a Picnic

**Chapter 10 - The Past and a Picnic**

**Disclaimer:** _**I love playing with the ideas and characters from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, but sadly I don't own it. I do own the characters I created and what I'm calling a plot.**_

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Eventually I was able to extricate myself from Roma's embrace so that we could both get some much needed sleep. I returned to a quiet house, but even the quiet wasn't enough for me to fall asleep - I tossed and turned, wishing I could be holding Roma rather than a pillow.

Finally, I gave up on sleep and went into the kitchen. I made some fried chicken and potato salad, leaving some for Quil for his lunch, but packing most of it in a picnic basket with ice packs, along with a blanket, some apples, and a couple of Cokes. I figured I could pick up some juice boxes on the way to Roma's house for lunch.

I brought the basket with me to work, and even with all my cooking I got there before Jacob. I put the basket in a corner of the office, and found a car that had been dropped off overnight with an unusual problem - something that could actually grab my attention!

Jake called a good morning to me when he got in, but it wasn't until a bit later that I figured out what was wrong with the car, and looked up at the clock. 10am. A great time to call Roma!

I went to wash my hands, when Jake yelled to me. I looked up. "Embry, Sam called earlier."

"Yeah?"

"He wanted to remind you it's your night for patrols."

"Crap. I wanted to spend it with Roma." I said, annoyed.

"I know, dude. I went through that, too. But the res doesn't protect itself." Jake replied. When did he become so wise? He used to be so impulsive.

I picked up the phone and dialed Roma's house, "Hi Roma, it's Embry."

"Hi! I'm so glad to hear from you this morning!"

"I've got to do some work for the tribe tonight, so I can't see you then."

"Oh, no! Really? You can't do it a different time?" The disappointment was palpable.

"I'm so sorry, love. We all take turns, and it's my turn. Do you think you and the kids would want to go on a picnic at lunchtime, though?"

I could hear Roma's smile through the phone. "Sure, but how much food do I need to pack?"

I laughed. "I packed the food, I just need juice boxes for the kids. I didn't want you to have to interrupt your work making lunch."

"Oh, thank you so much! You're so thoughtful for doing that! I've got to get back to my work - Madison and Ethan are with Claire right now, but I'll be back with them around noon."

"I've got to get back to work, too. I'll see you for lunch" I said, and hung up the phone. _Thank goodness! I didn't scare her off with the whole soulmate / Imprinting talk! Now how will I tell her about the werewolf part?_

I got through the rest of the morning, and told Jake I'd be taking a slightly longer lunch than usual. Since it was mid-week, it was slow. People tend to take their cars in for service right before or right after the weekend. Mid-week is much quieter.

I arrived at Roma's house right as she was returning with Madison and Ethan.

"It looks like you had fun!" I said, receiving nice big hugs from them. "You might want to wash off the paint, though, because we were going to have a picnic."

"Cool!" Ethan said. "Can we practice growling at a picnic?"

I smiled, "Of course."

"But only after you've eaten your lunch!" Roma added. "Maddie, could you help Ethan wash his hands? I need to get a couple of juice boxes."

"Can I have grape juice?" Maddie asked, and when Roma nodded, she took her brother into the house.

Roma and I followed Madison into the house, but I managed to steal a kiss once the kids were washing their hands. Roma quickly grabbed a few juice boxes, and we tossed them into the cooler.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Embry. It means a lot to me that you want to do things with the kids." Roma said, hugging me.

"Of course, Roma! I like spending time with them. And you." I kissed her gently. "I was worried I scared you off yesterday with the tales of imprinting and soulmates, though."

"Trust me, it would take a lot more than that to scare me." Roma replied, smiling sadly. "I was researching some of the Quileute legends this morning, and I found references to imprinting being like the mating-for-life of wolves, as they are the spirit warriors."

I nodded. "That's exactly what it's like. One of the guys' wives was asked if she was nervous about marrying him young, and she said no way - Quileute men mate for life."

Roma smiled. "That is a big comfort whether you're marrying young or not!"

Our conversation was cut short when what sounded like a herd of elephants came through the bathroom door. "We're ready!" chorused Maddie and Ethan, so we tromped out of the house, into the forest, and a little further in until we arrived at a clearing.

"This is so cool!" Madison exclaimed. "There were trees everywhere, I didn't see a path, but you brought us right to this clearing!"

"I've lived here all my life, I've learned a few things about the woods. Remember that you shouldn't be wandering out by yourselves looking for clearings." I said.

"Not like Little Red Riding Hood! There could be a Big Bad Wolf in the forest!" Ethan exclaimed. I tried to hide my laughter.

"Or you could get lost like Hansel and Gretel and get eaten by a witch!" offered Madison.

"But you could call a Spirit Warrior to help you!" suggested Ethan.

"Oooh, how do you call a Spirit Warrior, Embry?" asked Madison.

I thought for a moment. "Gee, I don't know. I think you are supposed to ask for help from the spirits - calling out for help. Even if a Spirit Warrior doesn't find you, someone else can if you stay in one place and call for help."

"I don't want anyone else to find me, just a Spirit Warrior." said Ethan firmly.

"Well, I think we all need to eat if you're going to try to learn how to growl," Roma suggested, and I passed out the food.

After everyone had eaten, I growled for the kids, and they tried to growl. I suggested they try to run like wolves growling, and they ran around the clearing. Roma relaxed against me, putting her head in my lap. I ran my fingers through her hair, and started braiding pieces of it.

"I saw you hugging the kids in line for bowling shoes last night - what was that about?" Roma asked, quietly.

"They were all excited when I said I'd take them bowling again. Then they told me you got lonely, and asked if I was going to leave." I replied, not sure if I wanted to tell her all of the conversation, but she did have a right to know.

"What did you tell them?"

"That I've lived here all my life and I'm not going anywhere. Madison clarified, saying she meant dying. I said I wasn't planning to die soon, and she accepted that answer."

"Oh, gosh. They've gone through too much." Roma said, and I could see tears in her eyes. I leaned over and kissed them.

"I hope some time in La Push can help them heal." I said, hoping it would help heal her, too.

"So do I. This place feels so protected - between the forest, the small town, and the legends of the Spirit Warriors. I feel so safe here."

"I'm glad you feel safe. I want you to be safe. While the kids are playing, though, can you tell me what happened to your sister?" I asked.

"You should probably know, otherwise they will tell you, and their version is edited." Roma replied, taking a deep breath. "You know that Nathan was involved in a gang, right?"

I nodded. She continued, "Well, Rowan and I were trying to get him out of the gang, but he refused, saying that he had family in the gang. After losing his parents and his aunt and uncle in one day, he was pretty needy. Rowan and I were also trying to raise her two kids, who were needy little ones. We probably didn't give him the attention he needed."

"I know you did your best. Sometimes things just happen in a way you weren't expecting." I said, not wanting her to blame herself.

"Regardless, Nathan was involved in a gang. A rival gang was up in arms because of some territory dispute or something - I never got the full story, and I wasn't sure I wanted to. Rowan had waitressed the night before, so I had let her sleep in, and had taken the kids to a park nearby for a couple hours. When she woke up, she went outside to sweep the front walkway. It was November, and there were a lot of mushed up leaves and everything. She always wanted our little apartment building to look nice. Unfortunately, she was outside at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Nathan left the house, hugging Rowan goodbye, and then walked around the corner to go meet some of his friends." She paused.

"You don't have to finish, love. This must be so hard for you." I said, cradling her in my arms.

"No, you should know. A couple of the guys from the rival gang had seen Nathan hug Rowan, so they decided to drive past and shoot at her and the house. A neighbor heard the noise, looked outside, and called 9-1-1, but it was too late. When I walked back with the kids, there was blood on the ground and our neighbor was telling us Rowan was taken to the hospital. Nathan had run back when he heard the shots, and he was sitting on the steps, sobbing."

"Oh, sweetheart!" I held her tighter, her tears wetting my shirt. I hoped my warmth was comforting her.

"We went to the hospital, all four of us. The doctor was very clinical about what had happened, and all four of us were shocked. We went home and huddled together crying. In the past six months things have gotten better, but I think La Push is incredibly healing - I'm seeing smiles and laughter again!" I could feel Roma relax against me, and I looked down at her. She wasn't looking at me, she was looking at the kids, playing in the clearing, laughing and trying to growl.

"La Push is a good place for them, Roma. I'm so sorry your family went through this, but I know that you'll heal here. I'll do my part, and the rest of the village will help the kids enjoy being kids. I hope you can trust me when I tell you that the parents here are incredibly protective, and the kids are very safe."

"I know. Thank you. And thank you again for telling them the Spirit Warrior legends. If they are true, then I am thrilled there are spirit wolves protecting us in the forest. If they aren't, then at least the thought of them are helping the kids sleep. They slept so much better last night!" Roma smiled.

"I'm glad they did. I had a hard time falling asleep, myself." Roma looked at me, and I winked, then kissed her.

"Aaaaah, young Romeo!" She smiled. "Someday when you're older, you won't let those thoughts disrupt your sleep!"

"You're not older than I am." I said. "You've just had different responsibilities."

"How do you know I'm not older?" she asked.

"That is a story for another time." I answered. "Because now we need to go back. I have to return to work, and the kids might need a little down time."

My prophesy was correct. Roma and I ended up giving piggy-backs to Maddie and Ethan on the way home, as their legs had gotten tired from all the wolf-running.

The next couple weeks passed peacefully - I would do patrols some nights, and on others I was with Roma. Sometimes with the kids, sometimes blissfully alone. We were together as much as we could be, given our work and the demands of the Pack. I was getting more and more comfortable with Roma, and thinking she would react OK to the news that I was a werewolf, when Sam reminded me that the full moon was approaching.

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**A/N:** _ Thanks for reading! I really don't want to beg for reviews, but I'd love to know what you think!_


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